LILLE, France — Even though the behaviour of Russian fans improved, their team might still be forced out of the European Championship early.
Elimination, rather than disqualification, is the immediate threat after Russia’s short-comings were badly exposed in a 2-1 loss to Slovakia on Wednesday.
Marek Hamsik’s long pass split the Russian defence, setting up Vladimir Weiss for Slovakia’s first goal in the 32nd minute. Weiss turned provider just before halftime as Hamsik powered in the second at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
"He was superb with the ball but also helped a lot in defence and scored a beautiful goal," Slovakia coach Jan Kozak said of Hamsik.
Amazing goal from Marek #Hamsik for #SVK! #RUSSVK pic.twitter.com/08xiyoDXGm
— Patrick (@RatedRHero) June 15, 2016
The Russians pulled one back in the 80th minute through Denis Glushakov’s header, but there was no late equalizer like in Saturday’s violence-marred match against England.
The loss left Russia with only one point from two matches in Group B.
And Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup, still has problems both on and off the field.
The red flare set off by Russian fans after Glushakov’s goal could prove problematic for the federation, which has been threatened with disqualification from Euro 2016 by UEFA if there is further misbehaviour by its fans in stadiums.
On Saturday in Marseille, Russian fans attacked their English rivals after their team scored late to earn a 1-1 draw. There was no repeat of the violence in Lille, however.
Russia will next face Wales on Monday in Toulouse, while Slovakia plays England at the same time in Saint-Etienne.
MORE ON EURO 2016: Sportsnet has you covered with in-depth coverage of Euro 2016 in France, which runs from June 10 to July 10.
• Match schedule || Group standings || Live scoreboard || Latest news
• Profiles: All 24 teams || History of Euro || Top 10 moments in Euro history
• Sportsnet’s predictions || 10 players to watch || 5 key group stage games
• Feature stories || Soccer Central podcast || Team roster lists ||
The composed Slovaks, who won a match at the continental championship for the first time, exposed the ineffectiveness of a disjointed Russian side that lacked creativity until the final minutes.
"The Russians were on the ball more and were very good at counterattacks but they left space in defence," Hamsik said through a translator. "In the second half, we sat deep and luckily we managed to hold on to our lead."
The opener was a combination of Hamsik’s vision and hapless defending.
From around the halfway line, Hamsik spotted Weiss in space on the edge of the penalty area and sent a long, diagonal pass to the winger. Weiss befuddled the defence as he cut through before guiding the ball into the net in the 32nd minute.
The 26-year-old Weiss, who left European soccer two years ago to play in the little-regarded Qatari league, was swamped by his teammates after scoring.
Weiss and Hamsik weren’t yet finished with embarrassing the Russians, combining even more intelligently and stylishly for the second that exploited another lapse in concentration.
A short corner from Weiss left the Russians in disarray. It reached Hamsik, who was gifted the space to curl a powerful shot from a tight angle in the net off the inside of the far post.
"Hamsik has become mature on a personal and a football level in Napoli," Kozak said. "But I think Napoli has become too small for him. He deserves to play at a really big club."
Russia had only hit the target once when Glushakov, who came on as a substitute, pulled a goal back after Oleg Shatov’s cross was headed in.
"The situation is very complex," Russia coach Leonid Slutzky said. "Every team will still have a chance to qualify. It will be decided in the final round."
